We've rented an apartment in Bruges for six nights (end of May). My SO has mobility issues which hopefully will improve with a proposed total joint replacement following our trip. We want to stay put in one place and explore a couple of interesting towns by train or bus. We love history, architecture, museums, quaint little towns, gardens and nature. We've been to Brussels several times in the past and like the city, the buildings and the chocolates! Can you suggest several places that would meet the above criteria? TIA.

Love, love, love Brugge!

How about Ghent and Antwerp?

Have a great trip.

Easy - Gent and Antwerp are short easy train trips.

Head for the North Sea - Knokke-Heist is one of the gems of the coast - Oostende is really nice as are just about all the seaside resorts here - take the inter-urban tram that runs all along the coast thru all the cities just about to the French border. Trains from Bruges go to Oostende and other coastal cities. Some nice nature is the few dunes area left here. Great for seafood restaurants especially if the oyster season is on.

Bruges' ancient port, Damme, was one of the busiest in Europe until it silted up and the port action moved to Antwerp - you can take a boat or bus the 10 kilometeres or so and see the old Flemish-facaded warehouses still lining the old port.

Have you thought of renting a motorized wheel chair or motorcycle with sidecar? Cars would be a poor idea in cities.

A motorcycle and sidecar is a terrible idea. Unless you are used to driving such a thing it would be very dangerous, and just as much a nuisance in cities as a car. You also need a special motorbike licence to drive/ride one.

Dinant will fit the quaint little town with nature.

I love Lille too.

While I really enjoyed Dinant, it is a 3+ hour train ride each way with a change in Brussels. Great photo op from across the river of the cathedral and citadel!

If going that far, I would also recommend Namur in addition to Dinant. But, you'd need to do an overnighter, I'd think.

St Niklaas is an easy train trip and little walking required to enjoy an outdoor cafe in one of Europe's largest town squares - for a nice low-key place:

https://www.google.com/search?q=st+n...w=1920&bih=955

Many thanks for great ideas. Enough to keep us entertained. I can just see SO on a motorcycle with a sidecar....Brings images of movies from WWII.

What does SO mean ?

Not all of us are englishspeaking and not all of us understand abbreviations or acronyms.

SO means Sud-Ouest as far as I'm concerned. Not helfpful.

Significant Other! Partner.

What the heck you doing up so late -Goodbyehello?

It is midnight in civilized country PQ !!!
A friday night ? I'm digesting my côte du rhône with some help from a rhum agricole.
What else ?

Does SO carry a homosexual meaning by the way ?

"Does SO carry a homosexual meaning by the way ?"

Negative in my case.

I don't know why it would matter in any case.

Doesn't matter - just to know - it took me ages to be told what 'a longtime companion' actually meant.

Again, I'm not familiar with US or UK abbreviations nor circumvolutions.